Morning journal and courier., 1887-10-14
THETR ANNUAL MEETING.

Union Meet, Elect officers and Listen
 to Interesting Addrcsses-Fhe Re-
 ports From the Secretary and the
 Circles.
 The Woman's Baptist Home Mission union held it's annual meeting at the First Baptist church yesterday. Mrs. Francis Wayland presided.
 These officers were elected for the ensuing year: President, Mrs. F. Wayland; first vice president, Mrs. E. Disbrow, Bridgeport; sec ond vice president, Mrs. E. s. Wheeler, New Haven; third vice president, Mrs. George E. Smith; secretary, Mrs. William H. Elkins; treasurer, Mrs J. V. Gaston, Meriden; exec utive committee, Mrs. c. E. Rich, New Haven; Mrs M E. Morris, Bridgeport; Mrs. J. L. Richmond, Meriden; Mrs. c. H. Butricks, New Haven; Mrs. J. c. Ditmans, Shelton; Mrs. E. M. Jerome, New Haven: publication committee, Mrs. G. P. Durham, Mrs. w. H. Elkins, Mrs. P. S. Evans, New Haven.
 Reports from the circles were made as fol lows: Mrs. E. R. Silliman, First Baptist, Bridgeport Mrs. Curtiss. Calvary Baptist, New Haven; Mrs. P. E. Wing, First Baptist, New Haven; Mrs. J. c. Ditmans, Shelton; Mrs. Plant, Ansonia; Mrs. John w. Hill, Grand avenue Baptist, New Haven; Mrs. J. V. Gaston, Main street church, Meriden, and from Mrs. I. R. Wheeler.
 The report of the treasurer. Mrs. Gas ton of Meriden, showed that the unions financial condition was very prosperous.
 Mrs. w. H. Elkins of this city, the secre- tary of the union, reported that the unions last meeting was held in Meriden, that 1t proved most interesting one, and that the work for the year was entered upon with much interest The first quarterly meeting was held in the Calvary Baptist church, New Haven, January 27th. Progress in the good work was reported. A new circle had been formed at Shelton and was very cordially re- ceived into the union. The second quarter ly meeting was held at Bridgeport April 21. The third meeting was held at the Sea View House. Savin Rock, July 21. At this meet ing the resignation of the first vice-presi- dent, Mrs. Somers, was received. Mrs. Somers having taking up her residence ln another State. We shall miss her in our gatherings, but her enthusiasm and zeal in the home mission work will abide with us forever. The record of the year is made up. Some hearts have been made glad, some homes have been frightened, some prayers have been an | swered some souls have been saved we trust; | but have we all done what we coulds Will the master say of us, we'll done my good and | faithful servant. Some work has been done | in the way of arousing an interest in home | missions Mrs. c. H. Butricks has visited a number of towns and held meetings with the ladies' The object was to induce them to | form circles and unite with us in the good | work.
 An address was made by Mrs. O. H. But ricks, after which the address of the day was made by Mrs. George P. Durham of this city. Her subject was ''To -day's Demand '' After speaking of the power and influence of ! the home and the inestimable importance of Christianity, the speaker said: l have re- gently read Dr. Strong's book, "Our Coun- | try" packed so full of startling truths. Some thoughtful men and women feel that too strong an appeal is made to our fears, | that other than the Christian motive for eff \ fort is urged, that Gods overruling power is | too often left out. But facts are facts, and | Dr. Strong's facts must make any earnest man or woman feel the vita | importance of immediate mighty effor
 to make this country of ours the home of | God Hearing people-to win ''North Americ' for Christ"
 The author states the purpose of the bool | as follows: "Many people are not aware tha we are living in extraordinary times. Few | suppose that these years of peaceful prosperl | ty in which we are quietly developing con | tinent are the pivot on which is turning th nations future. And fewer still lmag1n | that the destinies of mankind for centuries t. come can be seriously affected, much less de ! termined by the men of this generation il ' the United States. Several years ago Prof
 Austin Phelps said: Five hundred years o | time in the process of the worlds salvation \ may depend on the next twenty years c ' United States history It is purposed in tn \ following pages to show that such depend ! ence of the worlds future in this generatio in America is not only credible bu
 in the highest degree probable" H \ goes on to show that the Unite \ States is capable of sustaining vast popula \ tion. The territory is so great that if Grea D
 tria, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Der \ mark and Greece could be welded into on kempire and laid down west of the Hudso \ river it would occupy only one-thlrd Of tn
 space there Dr. Strong thinks that our ag \ ricultural resources fully developed woul
 sustain 1000, ,OOO, GOO souls. Our boundles \ mineral wealth and manufactures, alread ! far in advance of other countries, promls | wonderful things. And because room an resources in the West are double those of tn ' East. he believes the West will in time don
 mate the East. He says: "The West is to day an infant, but shall one day be giar in each of whose limbs shall unite th \ strength of many nations"
 But these very things are sources of peri
 because they are calling to our shores mi lions of people who are not ready to wor \ with us in the home making Dr. Stron says the typical immigrant is Europes k peasant whose horizon has been marrow ' whose moral auO Ao'hAAS hH N been meager or false and whose lde' \ of life are low. Not few belong to the pat \ per or criminal classes. From a late repo ' of the Howard society of London it appea N that seventy-four per cent. of the Irish di \ charged convicts found their way to u N United States. Moreover, immigration \ demoralizing. No man is held upright sin \ ply by the strength of his own roots; h \ branches interlock with those of other mel ' and thus society is formed with all it's lav
 and customs and force of public opinio
 Few men appreciate the extent to which tht \ are indebted to their surroundings for tl ' strength with which they resist or do or su " fer All this strength the emigrant leav \ behind him. Our population of foreign e. N traction is sadly conspicuous in our crim . nal records. This element constituted ? 1870 twenty per cent. of the populatic
 of New England and furnished seventy f7 \ per cent. of the crime. Most foreigners brir with them continental ideas of the Sabbatl E and the result is sadly manifest in all ot
 cities where it is being transformed from
 holy day into a holiday. But by far the mo
 effective instrumentality for debasir N popular morals is the liquor traffic, and tn
 is chiefly carried on by foreigners.
 Immigration has fed fat the liquor powe
 and there is liquor vote; furnishes most ( M the victims of Mormonism, and there is V Mormon vote; is the strength of the Cathol
 church, and there is a Catholic vote. Imm \ grafton is the mother and nurse of socialism
 and there is to be 8 socialist vote. lmmigr
 ton tends strongly to the cities, and there X no more serious nuisance to our civilizatio N than our rabble-ruled cities. When we COT N sider the influence of civilization it is by I \ means reassuring to reflect that 75 per cen of it is pouring into the formative Yves Dr.. Strong shows that the power of u \ Roman Catholic church is rapidly growth \ especially in the West, and that this increa ' of power threatens the life of our free inst \ tutions. He shows that Mormonism
 rapidly growing as political power, and tn
 it is opposed to our American institution
 and republican government. And he sa
 if the liquor power is peril in the Eas what of the Rocky Mountain region and b